We Have A Cobra Down
by Harvestos
Summary: Sgt. Paul Jackson, as we all know, dies in the COD4 campaign. However, what if the nuke didn't go off, and the operation continued as planned? What would happen to the rescued pilot? As far as I can see, this is a first in COD fanfics, never seen these two characters in a fic, despite them having so much potential content.
1. Chapter 1

**Ok, so, while not my first story, this is my first fanfic. Set in the COD4 timeline, as the US marine Sgt. Paul Jackson, but in my timeline, the nuke never goes off and we see Paul Jackson's story continue into the rest of the story, with the addition of Captain Pelayo, the pilot he rescued. Leave reviews, please, it'll motivate me to continue if you actually like it.**

"Seal Team Six has located a possible nuclear device at Al-Asad's palace to the west. NEST teams are on the way. Until the device is verified safe, all forces are to fall back to the east, over."

The smooth voice of command sent a long shiver up my spine. Nukes, here? Suddenly, for the first time in the invasion of this small, middle eastern territory, I was genuinely afraid. Nevertheless, I kept my hands firmly attached to the mark 19 grenade launcher I was operating on the Sea Knight. Directly ahead of me was a fearsome Cobra attack helicopter, piloted by the skilled and charismatic corporal Pelayo, and her co-pilot Keating. I was glad to have them with us; they'd cleared out most of the large threats my mark 19 couldn't blow away.

Keeping tight to the formation, the large Sea Knight lurched on its side, heading to the east, with the Cobra still in my vision. Lieutenant Vasquez placed his hand on my shoulder, causing me to look up at his bitter face. "Jackson, don't stop burning those fuckers, you've done a good job." I smiled up at him, not expecting this sudden compliment, and replied with a short "Yes, sir." Before returning to face the Cobra. I expected we would be just about in the safe zone by now, until my retinas lit up with a flash coming straight from Pelayo's tail rotor.

"We're hit we're hit! I've lost the tail rotor!" The unmistakable voice of the girl cried through my helmet and into my ear. I watched as her Cobra violently spun out of control, headed straight for the city outskirts below. "Mayday mayday, this is Deadly, going in hard!" she cried again. Suddenly her playful and cool composure was swapped by a panicked shout.

"We're going down." She finally said before crashing into the narrow street below, flanked by imposing structures, definitely teeming with the enemy. Now, the voice of the Sea Knight pilot came through my helmet. "We have a Cobra down. I repeat, we have a Cobra down." Staring down at the crash site, I notice small figures leaving the buildings, making a beeline for the wreckage.

"Deadly this is Outlaw Two-Five, come in, over!" The pilot said again. Now I had a direct line of fire on the enemies below. The Sea Knight circled around the wreckage, and I opened up with the grenade launcher, tearing up the ground and the figures with it. In panic, they seemed to fall back to the buildings. "Command, I have a visual on the crash site. I see small arms fire coming from the cockpit. Request permission to initiate search and rescue." The pilot said, with much more urgency in his voice than before, bringing out a slightly southern accent.

"Copy 2-5, be advised, you will NOT be at a safe distance in the event that nuke goes off. Do you understand?" The still calm voice of command warned. I saw men with Russian RPGs run across rooftops, only to fly down from them after a quick burst of fire from my mark 19. "Roger that. We know what we're getting into." The pilot said, almost boastingly. "Alright 2-5 it's your call. Retrieve that pilot if you can. Out." And with that the sound of Command disappeared. We were getting into hot shit here.

The Sea Knight, still circling around the crash, attracted some small arms fire, but I supressed them as I saw we had begun to descend. "Deadly do you copy? What's your status, over?" the pilot asked. A small cough and the crackle of a damaged radio signalled that at least one of the Cobra pilots had survived. "I'm here!" Pelayo spluttered, completely panicked. "…Keating is KIA! Hostiles moving in fast! I could sure use some help down here!" I opened fire on the dark corners of the street, seeing gunfire getting closer and closer to Pelayo. "Hold on. We're coming to ya." The pilot reassured her, just as the Sea Knight touched ground and I lined up with the other marines to dismount and rescue Pelayo. The ramp opened and we slid out, taking positions and easing the fire off Pelayo best we could. I finally saw her, at the end of the battered street, stationary in her cockpit with a small weapon. I glanced over to Vasquez and he nodded at me, signalling for me to make a dash to her. I stood up from my crouched position and began to sprint toward the downed Cobra.

I was pretty sure I'd just ran straight past several enemies, but my only focus was reaching that damn pilot. Command had returned to the channel, but his voice was muted as I was deafened by the intense fire all around. Vasquez had gotten on the radio too. "We got 90 seconds, Jackson. Get the pilot! No one gets left behind!" His gruff voice spurred me further as I finally reached the Cobra. man, what a mess. Keating was leaning out the side of the cockpit, motionless, and Pelayo was covered in red stains and her face was pouring with melted makeup. She clutched an MP5 and helped gun down some enemies as I reached my hand out to her.

She looked up at me, almost helplessly, and so I dragged her out carefully and secured her in my arms. Even with all her pilot gear on, she was light as a feather. "Get to the Sea Knight! We'll hold down these corners, go, go!" Vasquez once again filled me with optimism and I dashed, holding the pilot close to me, into the safety of the chinook, Lt. Volker, the flight assistant, ushering me in. I sat her down gently onto the bench, and placed my hand on her shoulder, a sort of way to ask if she was okay. She looked brightly up at me and nodded, with a relieved smile and aimed down her MP5 towards the street. With everyone on board, Volker muttered something into his headset. Now would be a good time to get the hell outta here.

I sat down opposite an exhausted Pelayo. Once again Command spoke through the comms. "Outlaw this is Command. We have a probable nuclear threat in the capital. Proceed to the minimum safe distance until the all clear is given by the NEST team." I reached for my holstered M4 and fired off some grenades from my under barrel M320, taking out the enemy soldiers surrounding the Sea Knight. As the last of our Marines piled on board, Vasquez shouted down to the pilot, "Go, go!" The pilot replied a witty "This is your captain speaking" joke and told his co-pilot to put his foot down. "All US forces be advised we have a confirmed nuclear threat in the city. NEST teams are on site and are attempting to disarm. I repeat, we have a confirmed nuclear threat in the city. NEST teams are on site and are attempting to disarm. I had my hands clenched tightly to the small handle that kept me sat down on the Sea Knight, its rear ramp still wide open. If it went off, we would all be gone, and it would have all been for nothing. I looked around, and it seemed my anxiety was shared around the others. They all fidgeted and looked out towards the ruined cityscape.

However, nothing ever came. Soon the streets and infrastructure below us turned to fields and motorways. It seemed that we had gotten out alive. We reached a US controlled forward operations base and the pilot, who I thought definitely deserved commendation for his flying, settled us down on the makeshift helipad. "That NEST team better disarm that nuke, we gotta get the fuck back in there!" I heard some others converse as we all stood up to exit the battered Sea Knight. Seeing the weary female Cobra pilot I rescued wince in pain as she tried to get on her feet, I reached over and let her balance on me as we left together. Descending down the ramp the strong middle eastern sun hit me. In the city it wasn't as bad, since the looming buildings gave us plenty of shade, but here there was no such shade, and we were exposed to blistering heat. "Damn, feels as though that nuke really did go off." I remarked, earning a painful smile from Pelayo. I set her back down on some ammo crates placed in the small shade of the FOB command building. Her head immediately leaning back against the wall. "I'll come back in a second, if there's anything you need" I said, looking down at her injury. She gave a quiet, and slightly embarrassed "Thanks" and I turned to look for Vasquez, as no one was really sure what to do while waiting for this nuke threat to blow over.

I found the broad and imposing lieutenant stood over a map, with the Sea Knight pilots, who had rather fittingly adorned a pair of aviators. "Sir, is there anything you want us to do?" I asked facing him. He turned to look at me, stern as always. "I don't have more of an idea than you, Jackson, just rest up and make sure that pilot gets what she needs." He replied, his eyes wandering over to Pelayo who was now sat with her knee in her hands, her face scrunched up in pain. "Yes sir, I got it." I said and jogged into the small building, which was sure to have some sort of medical bay within it.

"Is that it?" I said quietly to myself, coming across a pile of small boxes marked with a large red cross on the front neatly placed in the corner of one of the small rooms made out of MDF. I took one and carried it back to Pelayo, who looked like she was on the way to passing out soon. "Hey, I found this, it'll help." I said, looking down into her slightly watery eyes, making the remnants of her makeup disappear down her cheeks. "Alright, keep holding your knee. Is that the only injury you have?" I asked. Opening the small case I found some bandages, a morphine injection and other medical essentials. She shook her head and so I gently replaced her hand, tightly holding her knee with mine. "It'll be fine, I'll give you some morphine, and apply this field dressing. The morphine will sting." With that last sentence she looked at me with her eyes widening slightly. "Here, take this." I told her and I gave her a roll of bandages to put in her mouth to take the pain.

"Okay, I'm starting now." I warned her and proceeded to lay her leg down on the ammunition boxes she was seated on. Cautiously, I took my hand away from her deep gash, and extremely carefully spread a layer of morphine powder over her wound. I could see it definitely had worked, as in an instant all her limbs had suddenly tensed up, and her teeth were thoroughly dug into the roll of bandages. "We're almost done, don't worry." I tried my best to smile at her, and gently wrapped a field dressing around her leg, tightening it and closed the emptied case. And with that she spat out the bandage roll which had been torn to shreds by her teeth. "How are you feeling? We need to get you cleaned up." I said, seeing her hands and her torn leg, stained with blood. "Not gonna lie, like shit. But thanks, I don't know how long I was gonna hold on for there." She beamed at me, trying her best to stand up. "I don't mean to be a complete suck up, but could ya help me to the bathroom?" I could see her attempt at puppy-eyes and I graciously obliged.

She slung her arm around me, and I effortlessly picked her up and walked with her back to the FOB building, to find the bathrooms. "O-over there, I think" She pointed out through her gritted teeth, motioning towards a doorway. "Hey, uh, don't take this the wrong way, but, uh, getting washed, like, without help... are you gonna manage?" I asked her sheepishly. I noticed her visibly blushing at my question and replied even more sheepishly then I had asked. "Well, I may need help with something…" My eyes widened and then she winked at me, increasing my disbelief. "Getting this damn helmet off, it's stuck." I let out an audible laugh at her tease and proceeded to take off her flight helmet. It was no issue; I think she just didn't have the strength to pull it all off. Placing it on the floor, I led her into the small shower and gently unhooked my arm from around her shoulders. She quickly reached out and leaned on me, and then the wall. "Pelayo, seriously." I held out my arm. "I hate being this useless, I can do this, thanks, uh, fuck. I don't know your name" She smiled, blushing even more. "Sergeant Jackson, and no, you're not useless. At least you weren't in the city. You're one of the best pilots I've ever seen." I said, taking my hand and supporting her back as she struggled to unzip her flight suit. She looked at me, almost flirtatiously, and then drew the shower curtain, separating us.

I waited for her outside the shower, and my daydreaming was interrupted when I heard her voice over the shower. "Hey, Jackson, ya there?" she shouted out. "I'm here." I replied, standing up. "I forgot to say, man. I owe you my life for what you did for me, that was some seriously cool shit you did back there!" she shouted back. I didn't know what to say. "Ah, well, orders are orders!" I said back, jokingly. I heard her chuckle on the other side of the curtain and I returned to my seat, patiently waiting for her to get out. I had almost forgotten that we were in the middle of a combat operation with the threat of a nuke going off at any second.

**Welp, that's my first chapter. Leave some constructive criticisms for me, potential story ideas, whatever! I'll try to be as communicative with my readers as I can, especially if this story takes off. Thanks.**


	2. Chapter 2

**Hey guys, back again with another chapter, I'm trying my best to improve based on advice I got from you, so feel free to leave more constructive criticism, but anyway, I hope you enjoy. Also, I referred to Pelayo in the last chapter as a captain as that is what is shown in game however just to make interactions and storylines more sense, I'm going to refer to her as a corporal.**

"Jackson, we've been given the all clear, it's time to roll out." Vasquez shouted from across the hall I was still seated at, waiting for Pelayo to finish struggling in the bathroom. I gave a sharp "Yes sir!" back and knocked on the door to Pelayo, who was clearly having a hard time in there.

"Hey, we gotta get back into the city right about now, you coming or…?" I quickly realised my poor choice in words and corrected myself. "I mean, do you need any help?" I said again, stood patiently at the door.

"Yeah, no I'm just about good to go, you ready to see my new threads?" She laughed, muffled by the door blocking me from seeing her slipping and crashing around. "Man, I'm a marine too you know, Jackson! I can't let all you guys have the fun." She now appeared before me in marine uniform, minus webbing and a helmet, clean of her blood-stained hands. I stood in awe.

"Damn, so, uh, you're coming with then, huh?" I scratched the back of my head, looking round to make sure we hadn't been left behind. "Yeah, obviously! Come on, gimme my gun." A suddenly joyful Pelayo asked. I handed back to her the MP5 I left by her flight suit crumpled on the floor. We turned to leave the building, in quite the hurry. The blistering heat whacked my face again as if I had just thrown myself into a microwave. Looking at my accomplice, she had reacted the same way.

"Are you sure you can manage; you can barely walk." I asked again, paying close attention to her strong limp.

"I'm fine, Jackson, I can handle myself." I looked at her unconvinced as she almost tripped over herself for the fourth time and regained her balance on me. "Well, maybe a little help." She said again, smiling into my eyes. As we sat down on the Sea Knight again, in the same place as when we touched down, I reached over and placed my bulky helmet on her small head, tucking in loose strands of hair. "You'll need it more than me." I told her, sitting down in my seat. That earned a mock-mad face aimed at me.

By now several of the other guys sat in the Sea Knight were staring at us, so I just looked through the small window. The familiar city sights returned, and soon so did the gunfire. My head left its calm level composure and I regained the adrenaline of battle. Pelayo grit her teeth and adjusted her leg. No one talked. We sat, anticipating the enemy fire coming straight toward us.

Vasquez then stood up, to issue our new objectives. "Alright listen up marines. The SEALS and NEST teams are stuck in the palace and are pinned down by incoming enemy forces. For our outstanding performance rescuing the recon team and corporal Pelayo," He quickly nodded to Pelayo. "Command has graced us with the task of picking up the guys stuck down there and bring them to our FOB. Oorah?"

"Oorah!" The Sea Knight almost shook from all of us acknowledging Vasquez's orders with our signature shout. However, soon it would be shaken around by something much more dangerous than our bellows. The distinct sounds of RPGs passing close by put me on my toes. The growing intensity of the enemy fire indicated that we were close to the palace. I glanced out of the window, instantly recognising the incoming smoke trails as more RPGs.

"This is too damn hot!" I heard someone say. Several others also spoke in panic, becoming restless in their seats. "Shut up marines, we do our job!" Vasquez yelled out, shutting them up. I looked over at Pelayo and caught her staring at me for a moment until she looked away, blushing.

"You okay?" I asked, searching for her eyes as she looked into her lap.

"Yeah, yeah. Stay focused." She said back, not moving her eyes from her lap. I took her advice and looked through the window again, observing the city. The enemy fire never let up, but we had finally arrived at the palace, as we started to descend.

"We're coming down! Get the fuck ready!" Vasquez ushered us all up off our seats, ready to rush out as soon as we touched down. I prepared my M4 carbine, checking my ammo and the chamber. I saw Pelayo doing the same with her MP5, noticing a slight shake in her hands.

"Hey, Pelayo, your hands," I said calmly. "they're shaking." I placed my hand on her shoulder. "Stay by me, it'll be fine, we'll barely be leaving the Sea Knight."

"I know, it's not that, man, it's…" She looked at me for a moment. "Don't worry, Jackson. I'll tell you some other time, if I get the chance." And with that her adorable smile returned to her face, and I turned to face the ramp.

Looking out of the window again I saw the sandy yellow palace walls surrounding us. The walls boxing us in. It seemed that we were going straight into the centre courtyard of the palace. Now I could hear the gunfire over the loud Sea Knight, and it sounded close. I returned to face the front.

A thin strip of light emerged through the Sea Knight as the ramp began to descend. Soon I could make out the surroundings and instantly recognised it. The large walls surrounding us, the arched tunnel leading out of the courtyard, and finally, the wooden post in the centre. This was Al-Asad's palace, the one we had all seen him publicly execute the old president Al-Fulani.

With the ramp down, I nodded over to Pelayo, and we raced out, taking positions in an arc around the back of the large chinook, watching our surroundings. The last of the marines had unloaded, and we stood up to relieve the stranded SEALs and NEST guys.

"Get those guys back here quick, we're not staying for long. We got guys all around." I heard the pilot say into the comms. I hoped we'd find them quick, this place seemed perfect for an ambush.

"Sir, how do we know where they are?" I asked Vasquez as we jogged cautiously through the tight palace walkways and corridors.

"Follow the gunfire, Jackson."

The gruff lieutenant was right, as we swivelled around a corner, I became face to face with the enemy. Well, not quite. They hadn't noticed us and were busy firing at our friendlies, shooting down from a balcony above. I looked back at Vasquez, unsure what to do and he put a finger to his mouth.

We waited for all of us to get into position, the enemy soldiers never noticing us, and chose targets. "Jackson, fire when ready" Vasquez said almost under his breath through the comms. Looking through my holographic sight, I tightened my trigger finger.

With my aim dead on my target's head, I squeezed the trigger, my rifle cracking to life, followed by the unfortunate man immediately falling to the ground. He would have been dead before he hit the floor.

Now, the rest of the marines opened fire. Fully automatic fire ripped through bodies and cover alike. The enemy soldiers, taken completely by surprise, panicked and ran, being cut down by the SEALs up on the balcony as they attempted to run to cover.

Spotting two more crouched behind a small upturned table, I opened fire again, with two distinct screams of pain in return. "Room clear, get the fuck down here, sir!" Vasquez shouted up to the SEALs who breathed a sigh of relief. I found it odd to hear Vasquez addressing someone as "sir". His voice did not suit it.

The SEALs who were now followed closely by a group of other men lugging large bags of equipment, which I assumed was the apparatus needed to defuse the nuclear threat, emerged from a back door they'd barricaded with furniture.

The man leading the group of SEALs was a large burly tower, with a wild beard and sporting a backwards cap and sunglasses. He really fitted the 'spec ops' stereotype.

As we started to jog back the way we came, several echoey voices rang behind us. Pelayo looked over her shoulder and called out "Hostiles right on our ass!" and as she turned to face the forward bullets found their way into the sandstone walls inches away from her. "Shit!" She cried out again as she winced at the close cracks.

Seeing this, I suddenly decided to run towards her and push her out of the line of fire, seeing the enemy mere metres away. I crouched down and without a second thought fired a long burst of automatic fire from my M4 down the narrow corridor, cutting down the pursuers.

"Man, what the fuck!" a marine said, eyes wide. I regained my composure and breathed out slowly.

"Get a move on, ladies! What are you waiting for!" The huge navy SEAL bellowed, shaking us all back into gear. We ran through the palace, encountering pockets of resistance along the way, who were gunned down within minutes.

I decided to stick with Pelayo. I was confused over my sudden impulse to protect her, but I felt that she would be safer if we stuck together. We moved inches away from each other, and I made sure to be a little behind, so I could react quickly if we started taking fire from behind again.

A few firefights later and we found ourselves once again boarding the Sea Knight with zero casualties. The new mark 19 gunner fired relentlessly at the palace as we lifted off, fighting back RPG-armed men who had emerged into the courtyard after us.

I looked over at Pelayo again. I must have caught her staring again because she looked down at her feet as soon as I laid eyes on her. "See? Wasn't bad at all." I said to her. Her head lifted up and she looked at me again. Her exhausted face tried her best to smile. "Yeah, I guess. It's been a long day." She replied, rubbing her eyes.

Afterwards, a visibly fatigued Pelayo leaned forward and looked down the Sea Knight.

"Vasquez, sir! Is this it now? Was this our last job?"

"I don't know yet, corporal. Sit tight. Once we get back to the FOB and drop off our VIPs I'll ask."

So, we had another at least a few minutes of RR at our FOB. Rest that the brave pilot I'd saved multiple times now clearly needed.

My eyes found their way back to that certain pilot-turned-marine, and we sat staring at each other in silence, the Sea Knight rocking us back and forth now and then. Eventually, I broke the stare-down by burying my face in my hands, the calmness of the moment wearing the adrenaline off.

The heat seemed to suck all oxygen out, almost choking me as the ramp came down. I had lost myself in my thoughts as we touched down at the FOB. I disembarked the Sea Knight alongside Pelayo, and stood beside the ramp, waiting for the Lieutenant.

"Sir- "

"Do whatever, sergeant. I'll call you all up if we have another task. Damn fine soldiering, Jackson."

"Yes sir, thank you sir."

I swivelled on my heel and came face to face with Pelayo, who was ready to drop dead on the spot.

"Shade?" I asked, nodding towards the same spot that I had treated her leg wound at before.

"Yeah, good idea." Was her response. We sat down next to each other and sat in silence for the next few minutes. On several occasions I saw her head droop down for a few seconds before shooting back up again.

"You wanna sleep? That's not very marine of you, Pelayo." I teased.

"Oh, I'm sorry, model marine, am I not up to your standards, hmm?" She replied, laughing cheekily. I replied with a laugh, looking down at the sandy ground. But then I remembered. I reached for her head and took my helmet back, placing it my side.

"That's still my helmet. A model marine never goes without a helmet." I said. She laughed back again. Silence ensued. We were both ready to fall asleep. As I stared at the ground, I felt her small and soft head bury itself into my shoulder. I gently looked over and saw her quietly snoozing away.

I chuckled quietly to myself and rested my head carefully on the wall behind. Without a moment's notice, I was gone too, Pelayo's head still dug into my shoulder.

Sometime later, I woke up suddenly to a large commotion gathering. What had happened? As I began to pick myself up, a small body next to me stopped me in my tracks. It was Pelayo, but she had blood stained over her face and clothes. Her MP5 in her stone-cold hands. What the fuck? I thought. I started to panic, seeing people on the helipad in enemy uniforms. A few metres away from me was a body in marine uniform. As I stood up, a voice almost burst my ear. Arabic.

Next to me stood a man with a red beret, exactly the ones that I would find in my weapon sights. He picked me up by my collar, and I couldn't respond. I was too weak, my arms slumped by my side. He marched me towards the rest of the group. My eyes were still adjusting to the scorching sunlight. As I gained my bearings, another man in front of me hit my stomach with the stock of his AK-47.

I struggled for breath on the floor. I was still trying to understand what was going on. They began to scream at me in English now.

"Get the fuck up, get up! Hurry up!" They shouted. The broken English started to turn into proper English, and I felt them hit my back again. Their shouts continued, and their voices turned to an American accent, still telling me to get up. What was happening? I looked up at the man who had hit me again, and with a swift kick around the face I was out.

"Holy shit!" My eyes burst open, I was gasping for breath, my face sweaty. I immediately looked at my side and saw Pelayo, sitting and staring at me confused. In front of me was a fellow marine.

"Jackson, sir! I had to wake you! Lieutenant's orders! We got a situation building!" He shouted. Urgently he ran back towards the group of marines stood in front of the Sea Knight.

"Jackson? What was that about? You were breathing, like, really heavy." Pelayo asked. The familiar sound of her voice calmed me down.

"Some lucid dream, it doesn't matter. Let's go." I replied, standing up to join the others. Pelayo, now rested up, followed closely. We made space in the circle around Vasquez, who had drawn up a sort of battle plan for us.

"Ah, Jackson, nice of you to join us. We have a situation building up here, in the north of the city." He brought out a larger map and circled a large section of it.

"The invasion has been going to plan so far, and all districts have been tied up. However, here," Vasquez now circled a smaller part of his circle. "as our guys rolled in on foot and vehicles, they were attacked by a significant force, and now they're doing a widespread counterattack."

"Sir, maybe that was their plan B in the nuke was compromised." I said.

"It's very possible, however we weren't prepared for this sudden surge in enemy manpower and we walked right into it. So, here's the plan." He put down the large map and brought out his improvised battle plan.

"We've established a frontline going along this river. The invasion force has set themselves up against it and so have they. Rangers were sent in to neutralise a small section of this which includes a bridge, allowing us to pour in and break their defence." Vasquez traced along his map with his finger. "However, the enemy blew the bridge and they're in need of reinforcements. And that, guys, is us. We're to go alongside a group of REBS vehicles, and to protect them along the way." He ran his finger along the road we would use to get there. "Enemy air defence is too strong on the other side of that river, so the safest way is to use the REBS to replace the bridge and go by foot and motor. Oorah?"

"Oorah!" The circle replied in turn and we grabbed our rifles and gear. The Sea Knight roared to life again, but this time set off, leaving us on the ground. We would now be going in a column of LAV-25 infantry fighting vehicles.

Pelayo remained close behind me as we boarded the LAV and sat down in the dark space. There was a small slit of light coming from the small windows along the side. That was a good thing though, as it was significantly cooler here than in the Sea Knight.

This time Pelayo sat next to me. She seemed awfully cosy pressed up against me, as it was fairly cramped inside the LAV. I was worried she was going to fall back to sleep again.

The driver in the front shouted back to us, "Alright, we're ready to go! I'll be your chauffeur for today, have a nice trip." The four of us, all sat in the back laughed, and swayed into each other as the LAV lurched forward. I wasn't complaining as Pelayo rocked into me and caused some more small chuckles. I wondered how long the trip was; I wanted to make the most out of this cool and calm space we were in.

**Another chapter done, let me know if you think I took all your advice into account and, of course, what you think! **


	3. Chapter 3

**Sorry it took me a while to get this chapter out, I've just graduated from high school, so I'll be able to pump out more content for you soon. Thanks.**

My head was going to explode. My brain was filled with a painful ringing noise which made my ears bleed and my eyes water. My hands were shaking as I grasped my rifle. Everything was blurred, but I knew I was on my back. The sun glared into my face. Looking around, I struggled to make out my surroundings, double vision impairing everything I looked at.

The noise inside my head started to die down and instead was replaced by deafening gunfire and explosions. My sight slowly returned to normal; I could properly make out my surroundings. Two arms reached under my armpits and coiled themselves over my chest. Over my shoulder was the corporal. She dragged me behind a wreckage of a car.

"Come on, Jackson, you're not gonna leave me on my lonesome now, are you?" she said, half teasingly, I could see that she was genuinely concerned.

"Well I might do with that attitude, Pelayo. What the hell happened?" I asked, pressing my back up against the car. I unloaded my M4 Carbine to check my ammo and slid the magazine back into the receiver upon seeing it loaded to the top.

"Uh, just before we got to the riverbank, a T-72 tank on this side of the river that was supposedly out of action by forward recon came to life just as we were passing. Our LAV got a direct hit and you got blown out the back as it was hit. Looks like you're okay, though."

"And the tank?" I replied, looking back at the burning pile of metal which was the remains of our LAV.

"LAV right behind ours had its TOW ready and hit the fucker right in the ammo the second it fired. The crew got out safe, we were hit in the ass, but everyone's okay." She said, smiling. "Now, are we gonna shoot these guys or what?" The pilot-turned-marine asked, raising her MP5 and peeking over the edge of the car.

"Yeah, why don't we." I said and I turned to face the river, which was only a few meters away. Fellow marines and a handful of rangers were exchanging fire with militia forces spread around the opposite riverbank. Behind us, on the foot of the bridge were several Stryker APCs, suppressing the other side of the bridge with 50. Cals and grenade launchers.

The small red dot in my RDS sight met my eye, and I began to fire sporadically at the figures opposing us. Normally I would have been firing in single fire, however I was not looking for accuracy here, but to keep them from firing back as we get this bridge back in action.

A small group of men hurried down to the frontline, and as I watched them descend through my weapon sight, I opened fire. This time with accuracy. Quickly one went down after the other, but one managed to find cover with the rest of the soldiers stuck there. The REBS vehicle had reached the gap in the bridge and worked its magic; the huge metal structure laid on top of it unfolding itself.

"Shit! Enemy technicals on the bridge!" a voice shouted out. I looked up, and on the edge of the bridge were two pickup trucks, each with a deadly weapon on the back. Fuck. While one had a PKM LMG on the back, which was a minor threat, the other with some kind of self-propelled RPG on the back, could not only destroy the REBS, but completely block the bridge with the wreck.

I immediately focused fire on the SPG, firing as fast as I could pull the trigger. Sparks and flashes surrounded the shielded gun, but eventually the operator fell limply, dead before he hit the floor. My small moment of relief was cut short by the barrel on the PKM swiveling to face me.

"Jackson!" Pelayo cried out. I felt a tug at my shoulder and dashed back behind the hulk of the car wreckage, as bullets whizzed overhead. I controlled my breathing. The tension had resulted in me breathing erratically, leaving my arms and fingers shaking. Over my shoulder was Pelayo, crouched behind cover, evading the incoming fire. She looked back at me with a look of relief.

"Fuck man, I could have saved you there, but you jumped almost on top of me anyway! Give me a chance to repay you!" she said in her usual cheerful voice.

"You're just too slow, I hope I won't have to rely on you to save me again, or we're both toast." I replied, also jokingly. It was met by a frown.

The fire keeping us pinned down had softened, it seemed that the second technical had been disabled, so I raised my rifle over the bonnet of the broken car and covered the advance of our Strykers. Several enemy RPG teams were taking positions at the foot of the river, and Vasquez directed our gunfire towards it over the radio.

"Enemy footmobiles are falling back, cease fire, cease fire!" Vasquez said again over the radio. The outgunned militia forces seemed to have given up finally and were rushing back into the city sprawls. For the first time since getting in the LAV, my ears got a break from the constant noise of urban warfare. Our bulky lieutenant looked at us and pointed to the bridge. Pelayo and I followed closely.

A small group of Humvees parked just behind the convoy of Strykers was prepared, and Vasquez told us to get in. "Jackson, take the gun." He ordered as I climbed in. From my experience of playing games and watching movies, I had a pretty good idea at what could happen to me, being in the most exposed position. Pelayo seemed to share my concern, as she looked at me worriedly from the passenger seat below me.

"Jackson, you're not gonna want to miss this! That big ass building won't be standing for much longer!" A marine standing beside the Humvee said to me. Everyone had pulled out a cellphone of some kind, and all eyes were on a tall apartment block inside the enemy territory. Small silhouettes could barely be seen atop the roof, scurrying around like insects.

The steady noise of a jet engine appeared, going from a faint sound to a booming screech when the jet soared overhead, dropping its JDAM payload on the building. The enormous explosion was followed by a huge ear-splitting noise, the shockwave punching through the walls and almost blowing away some of the marines on the bridge. My stomach turned and I grasped it tightly to stop myself from hurling. Once it had settled down, everyone started cheering. Shouts of "Fuck yeah/Oorah/America, comin' through!" came from all around.

"Alright, we're Oscar-mike, let's go!" Vasquez said over the radio. Our group of Humvees began to advance, driving alongside the armored convoy. "I sure hope that scared the shit outta them, because I wouldn't like to be sitting in this thing when shit goes down." Pelayo said. I noticed her usual cheerful demeanor was gone, replaced by a worried and scared little voice. I wanted to say something joking or even comforting, but I was completely focused on the surroundings.

The tall buildings, casting a dark shadow over the road, matched with the completely empty and silent streets and homes, swirls of sand and debris being kicked up by the wind made for an eerie atmosphere, one which screamed at me that something was bound to happen. If I failed to spot something, maybe a small reflection of the sun coming off the tube of an RPG on a rooftop, or a small pair of eyes in a window, and we could all be dead.

"I don't like this shit." Someone said in the Humvee.

"Yeah, this place is dead." Another replied.

I tried not to break my concentration. I slowly swiveled my gun mount from side to side, scanning everywhere. As we drove into narrower roads and small back alleys, the armored convoy parted with us and turned into a tunnel. Now, our small group of Humvees were all alone.

My eyes darted back and forth, not knowing where the enemy could be. There were two Humvees in front, driving slowly, cautiously.

Our objective was to surround and cut off the militia forces we had fought earlier and secure the area so we could continue our invasion of the city without this stalemate. At least, that's how Vasquez put it. I could see his bare and war-torn helmet in the Humvee in front. The man was always on his toes. I wanted to look down and see how Pelayo was fairing, but I didn't dare look down.

Minutes passed. Another block cleared of enemy activity.

A right turn led us into a dark and tight side street. I was startled by a noise to my left, realizing it only to be a civilian cowering in an alley. That could've been a man with a Molotov, I thought to myself, but eventually I looked away as he came out of view. We drove on.

More time passed. Nothing. Not even the faintest noise, apart from, of course, the raging battles elsewhere. I was almost begging to have something happen. The tension was killing me. Our radios quieted down too, everyone else feeling the same tension, despite not nearly having the same risk as me and the other gunners in front.

They were out there somewhere. I knew it. They couldn't have gone far. We took another left right turn, taking us back on to a slightly wider road. At the bottom, I could just about make out what looked like an office building. No, a school. A playground covered with sandbags was just in front. Great place to ambush a small, unarmored convoy, I thought.

"Waypoint bravo ahead. We'll be dismounting and having a look. Get ready and stay frosty." Vasquez said over the radio. They're bound to be in there. We approached slowly and pulled into the parking lot. I climbed out of the Humvee and jumped down, landing in front of Pelayo. She had her MP5 in one hand, my M4 in the other.

"Think you might need this, super soldier?" she asked, pushing it into my chest.

"Just maybe." I said in return. I moved my hand in to hold the rifle and she let go, the rifle falling into my palms. Assuming a ready firing stance, I gave her a quick smile before following the lieutenant and the group of marines into the derelict building. Just before we entered the doorless entrance, Vasquez said "I'll say it again, stay frosty, people." We all nodded in return, and quietly slipped into the building.

"Ground floor corridor clear." A marine whispered.

"Split up. Teams of four. Take each side, go." Vasquez whispered to us once we had all entered. The group of twelve quickly arranged into three groups of twelve. Me, Pelayo and the two others that were in the Humvee with us crossed the corridor, ready to clear the adjacent rooms.

We never heard anything besides the noise of our own boots on the floor and our weapons being handled, I was so tense I gripped my rifle as if it were my life.

I had my old CQC training from boot camp fresh in my mind as I entered each room, remembering every optimal position when entering in any layout of room. Pelayo and the rest were close behind, I could feel the girl's warm breath hitting my back and neck.

We finally cleared each room without any contact. Aside from the radio callouts consisting every time of only "clear" we all regrouped to move up to the first floor.

"Don't let your guard down. For all we know they're aiming right at those stairs." The lieutenant said as we pressed our bodies up against the walls next to the large stairs leading into the unknown.

"We go up together, once we're there and the hallway is clear, we split up again. Same groups. Am I understood?"

"Yes, sir."

"On my go."

I raised my rifle, anticipating immediate enemy resistance. If there were enemies up there, they had no doubt heard us.

"Three."

I controlled my breathing. In, Out. In, Out.

"Two."

I felt Pelayo's body gently rub against mine.

"One."

…

"Go."

All twelve of us methodically ascended, stopping at intervals to secure corners and other potential angles of attack. Being further back, I knew I'd be the one to reach the top.

This was it, I raced up the stairs, my M4 ready. I looked straight forward. Finally reaching the top, I was met by…

Met by…

A long hallway, arched sandstone walls running down to the end, a wide window letting the sun in. No one. I let out a long breath and said, "Hallway clear." I almost wanted them to attack at this point, just to end this special forces shit.

"Alright, good work, marines. Groups, now." Vasquez came up the stairs, followed by his three companions. Pelayo, now by my side again, spoke quietly to me.

"Those guys are lucky to be with the Lieutenant. With him taking point they'll clear any room."

"Oh, am I not so much of a super soldier anymore, then? Maybe you should cling to him instead of me." I replied, equally as quiet as we cautiously walked down the bright hallway. Pelayo was in visible shock that I noticed her sticking a little bit closer to me than others, before we went up the stairs and perhaps in the LAV, too.

"Hush, don't get distracted, and I'm talking about the talking, not by staring at me."

I chuckled under my breath as we continued down the hallway. Thanks to each other, we were able to cope with the extreme pressure of the situation. Radio chatter was full of "Room clear" as the groups systematically went through classroom to classroom.

We finished our second room by the time we reached the end of the hallway. To the left was a set of double doors, leading to the rest of the small school.

"Alright team, ready up." Vasquez said in his gruff voice. We took up crouched and prone positions around the doors, in case the enemy was waiting behind. One of the marines, from mine and Pelayo's group proceeded to the door and looked at the lieutenant, who simply nodded to him.

The man, not particularly big or bulky, gave the double doors a swift boot to the handles. It budged slightly, and so he prepared to try again. However, as he kicked the door again, bullets suddenly ripped through the metal, and immediately the marine was flung back by the fire.

"Fuck! Man down, return fire, take them down!" Vasquez shouted at the top of his voice. Without even seeing the enemy, I fired randomly at the door, the bullets knocking chunks out of the material. In a matter of seconds, the doors were no more, and neither were the enemy.

"Cease fire, shit." The lieutenant said. I looked back briefly at the marine, clearly dead. Blood was seeping from his exit wounds. Vasquez turned to face me. "Sergeant Jackson, corporal Pelayo, secure forward area!" I nodded and got up from my crouched position. Pelayo stood next to me again and we slowly began to advance towards the blood-stained floor at the other side of the corridor, connected by another room.

"Classroom on our right." I told her.

"Got it."

"There's bound to be more around here. Keep watch." Vasquez said over the radio. In this situation, casualties were expected, but it still shocked all of us. I could tell even the usually no-nonsense tough Lieutenant was shaken.

"Room clear." I heard Pelayo say. She emerged back out from the room and rejoined me as I crept down the corridor, nearing the crude defenses the enemies had fortified themselves with. The upturned tables and chairs had clearly not worked as intended. Behind them were three awkwardly laid bodies, bloodied and unmoving.

"Three enemy bodies here. Surrounding area all clear, sir." I said into my radio.

"Good work. We're coming up to you now. Hold there." Vasquez replied, his demeanor back to his usual.

The group jogged down, nearing Pelayo and I. Vasquez, in front of the group, glanced into the classroom Pelayo had previously secured.

I blinked.

A lone figure emerged and pulled him in, the others shouting in surprise and panic.

Instantly afterwards, I was startled by a vent above coming apart, revealing enemy men aiming at us from above.

I stood frozen, Pelayo shouted and bundled into me as bullets rained down from the ceiling. Hitting the wall, I heard someone cry out:

"Ambush!"

**Again, sorry for the wait, I hope this chapter makes up for it. Unfortunately, it's been an incredibly busy summer for me, and it's not going to let up anytime soon, but I'll try to be more active and motivate myself more! Please leave reviews and follow if you like it, all that good stuff. Thank you 3**


	4. Chapter 4

**Hey guys, Another chapter for you all. I'm trying my hardest to make longer chapters, even with the constraints of college work. But anyhow, don't give up reading because I haven't given up writing, enjoy! Also, somewhat exciting news, skip the first border until the next if you don't like sExUaL cOnTeNt. (I know, cheap!)**

"Ambush!"

Time slows down for a moment. I check my surroundings. Vasquez wrestling someone in a small room. The rest of the marines next to him running for cover. Three men shooting through the ceiling. Pelayo crouched against a wall beside me. And just when I reach for my rifle to fire back?

"Mmph!"

The force of a brick wall hit me but turned into a sharp pain in my chest moments after. My eyes blurred, double sighted and then I fell back down, roughly hitting the floor. I could barely hear; muffled voices screamed and shouted from every direction. My eyes could just make out Pelayo, shooting wildly while crawling closer to me, shouting something which I could not understand.

Her face was now over mine, struggling to drag me away. I couldn't feel myself and I was numb to her touch. Through my blurred vision I could see her wielding her MP5 one handed, spraying up at the ceiling while dragging me into a nearby classroom.

Limply I turned to see the other marines, engaged in combat with what seemed to be more enemies behind them. Looking back to Pelayo, I heard her whisper to me, "Come on, Jackson, please." Before my eyes closed, and I felt and heard nothing. I was out.

…

…

Jesus. The mother of all headaches was hitting a hammer against my forehead. I slowly opened my eyes and scanned my surroundings. Great. A hospital. Not exactly where I wanted to be right now. After a long yawn, I tried to sit up. "Fuck." I said under my breath as my whole chest burst into pain. Well I won't be trying that again.

I looked down at myself. A large white bandage wrapped around my chest, a canula on my hand, the whole deal. "Now what have I gotten myself into." I said to myself. I laid myself back down; I must have been anesthetised as I was very droopy. And then my sleepy eyes finally noticed. Next to my bed sat her. Pelayo. Right there, on a seat at my bedside. Fast asleep. How long she had been there for? No clue. Was I happy I knew she was here? Fuck yes. I smiled to myself as I let myself go again.

…

…

"Good morning, death jockey." The moment I opened my eyes, she was by my side, staring wide eyed at me, a soft smile adorning her face.

"Oh, hello," I replied, pretending I didn't know she was there. "how long have you been here for?"

The young blond looked away for a second before returning her gaze. "Oh, just a couple minutes."

"Mhm."

"So, how are you feeling?"

"Shit. What happened?"

"Why am I always having to tell you what happened, is this going to be a regular thing?"

"Alright, we're even now." I gave her a satisfied smile, to which she annoyingly replied with her typical teases.

"Yeah yeah, superhero, enough of that. A chopper came and rescued us after chasing the enemy away. You were out cold for the whole thing, and guess what."

"What?"

"You would have come out of there a lot worse if it weren't for yours trul-"

"Alright, alright, thanks your highness." I interjected. "You wouldn't have even been there to rescue me if I hadn't of risked everything to pull you out of that Cobra."

I saw her blush a little before she hid her face with her hands.

"Awe, look who's blushing." I said teasingly, reaching my hand out to move her hands away.

"Look, that crash is really hard for me, alright." Her voice was now slightly sadder, my face dropped a little in response.

"What do you mean?" I slowly moved my hand over hers, still covering her face, and brought it to her lap.

"It's just, like," Her faced stayed down, glued to her hand underneath mine. "I've never really been one that likes feeling dependent on someone, or a liability. You guys risking everything to come down and save me, during a nuclear threat? I didn't take that very well."

"I understand that, but you're alive now, right?"

"I guess I am." She looked back at me and smiled softly again. "Thanks to you, um, shit."

I laughed, returning my hand to my side. She just realised we still don't know each other's first names.

"My name isn't 'shit'".

"Go on then, don't make me guess."

"Heh. You can read my mind." I felt relaxed around her. This quirky pilot-marine had, quite literally, exploded into my life and now, within less than two days I feel like she is my best friend. And god is she pretty. Stunning. Her blonde hair, while at the moment tied back into a bun, as to comply with regulation, I could imagine flowing free down her back, her face, perfectly shaped with wide bright eyes. It all seemed surreal; I was living every soldiers' dream. "Paul."

"Natalie."

"Hello, Natalie."

"Hello, Paul."

Natalie. One of the sweetest and cutest names I could think of. It didn't get much better than this. Of all the names! The way she was looking at me gave me butterflies. Damn, I'm in my twenties and acting like a fucking kid. Not my fault, though.

She giggled after calling me by my name.

"How long are you off duty for?" I asked her.

"One week, General Shepherd commended us all for bravery and said we deserve some… recuperation. So, for me I guess that'll be a week spent in here."

"What? Are you hurt?" I asked, worried. I didn't know she'd been hurt too.

"No, silly, I'm gonna be here with you all week!" she laughed brazenly as if it was obvious.

"Oh, you don't have to if you don't want to."

"Of course I want to! I wouldn't be here if I didn't want to! I don't know anyone else, who's gonna give me company if you're not here."

Everyone else in the Marine corps.

"True, it's not like I can run away from you." I teased. She lightly punched my shoulder.

"Anyway, you want something to eat? I can grab something for you, I'm starving!" Natalie stood up, determined.

"Why not."

"Preference, my stricken little soldier?"

"Hell, you decide."

With a bright smile and a nod, she turned on her heels and left for the door, leaving me in my thoughts.

After staring at the ceiling for some time, I found it decidedly difficult to keep my eyes open and let them close. Drifting off, I let my daydreams take control of my mind.

My neck hairs tingled as someone's breath blew into my skin. I carefully looked over my shoulder, to find Natalie tucked in carefully next to me. I won't question it. I smiled and put my head back to my pillow. I can make the most out of this. I edged myself closer to her warm body as I felt myself drift off again.

Sleeping with Natalie. Fine by me.

"Hey, hero." I heard her whisper in the gentlest voice to my ear.

Or not.

* * *

"Hey there." I replied.

"You look better. Which is why I have something I need you to do for me." She said, a bit of mischief in her voice.

"And what's that? I thought we're even." I mumbled, half asleep. I opened my eyes a little. The whole ward was empty. Just me and her. Strange, but again, I'll make the most of it.

She leaned in even closer to me.

"I thought I'd make it a bit more… personal. You owe me, and I'm gonna tell you exactly how you're paying me back. Okay?"

"Okay."

What the fuck is happening?

She moved and sat at my feet, at the end of my small bed, staring me dead in the eyes.

"You're going to come here, and I mean right up to me, and you're going to fit as much as you fucking can up my clit, and you're going to finger the fuck out of me until I cum."

I looked at her in awe.

"Well, I didn't tell you to gawk at me. I told you to fingerblast me." Her eyes were locked on mine. Slowly, I turned my body and moved towards her.

The closer I moved to her the wider she spread her legs. I hadn't noticed before, somehow, but she seemed to only be wearing a bright oversized top. This seemed weirder by the second.

I sheepishly extended my arm in between her thighs. Her clit looked hungry, just as her face was as she watched my arm get closer. She had been waiting for this. The tip of my fingers touched her sensitive and surprisingly wet skin.

She let out a very over exaggerated yawn.

"Fucking hell, I'm falling asleep here!"

I swallowed hard and pushed two of my fingers inside. I didn't expect it to be that easy, after all, this was the first time I'd even touched it, but fuck, was it smooth.

"Jesus Christ, I'm insulted that you think I'm that tight, more!"

I smiled and added my two other fingers into her increasingly wet bundle of nerves. Natalie let out a quick grunt in response.

"That's more like it, like that, you're really paying me back now."

My arm picked up the pace, building up the heat in her sweet spot. She began to let out more and more little noises to show her appreciation, and my fingers kept the unrelenting pace, through her increasing twitches and budges.

"Not… not enough. Other hand, ru-… rub now."

If 4 fingers moving at light speed wasn't enough.

My other hand quickly found itself at the most sensitive spot and began to rub circles as fast as I could, earning some even more audible noises from Natalie. Her hips started shaking and thrusting. Surely, she was close. Her breathing was getting heavier and heavier in between her grunts and ever so slight moans.

"Are you getting close?" I asked, still moving both my arms painfully to her pleasure.

"Hah! I'm n-not even fuck…fucking feeling i-it yet!" She let out with a loud groan afterwards.

I looked back down at my hands, covered in her juices. Everywhere around her pussy was soaked. Unrelenting, I spread my fingers out inside her, continuing to push them in as deep as my hand would let me; alongside her frequent moans and grunts, was the loud squidges and sloshes of her juices being shifted and her walls retracting and expanding around my hand.

Her head rolled back, just as I intensified my rubbing over her clit. The little circles I drew over it was sending her over the edge, with every one resulting in a twitch of her thigh or hip. Despite the pain in my arm, I tried to move even faster with my other hand, moving in and out of her pussy faster than I thought she could take.

But she did. Through all the groans and twitches and moans and thrusts, she found the self-control to grab my wrist with one of her hands and push it deeper, forcing in my thumb and so, my entire forehand inside her.

"O-okay hero… I-I may ju-just be feelin- feeling it now." Natalie moaned loudly as her head dropped down. I grinned. This gave me the confidence to curl my fingers in her, still fingering faster than I could clearly count.

Her hand went from my wrist to my other hand, and pressed it into her sensitive spot, rolling her eyes upwards and into her head. I stopped rubbing circles, now switching to just rubbing up and down, getting faster every time.

Natalie's squishy thighs were now shaking and trembling as my pace quickened. Just how is she still holding on?

"O-okay, okay, okay, fu-fuck fuck, shit! I'm…I'm-!"

She couldn't finish her sentence. Suddenly she let out something close to a scream, followed by her pelvis lifting and shaking, her juices fighting against my hands to escape. Her whole body was shaking as she was making all sorts of loud moans. Somehow, I felt as though I was feeling her pleasure with her, all sorts of feelings and euphoria flowing through my body.

Eventually she settled down, out of breath and covered in a mixture of sweat and her own fluids. i retracted my hands and wiped them off on my bedsheets.

"Did I repay my debt?" I asked coyly.

"Consider this an ongoing debt to me. If you do it that well."

With her and myself exhausted, we collapsed back on to the bed, and it sure didn't take us long to lose ourselves to our sleep.

* * *

Once again, I felt light trying to get through my eyelids and into my eyes. Slowly opening them, I saw at my bedside was Natalie. But, wearing a USMC T-shirt, which was fit to size, and combat boots and trousers, also near me was a bustling hospital ward, with doctors and patients creating a busy and stressful air.

"Hey, it's just as well you woke up, I just got here. Turns out its harder than you think to get decent chow down here. But here ya go, this is what Marine Corps apparently calls fried chicken!" she told me, tray in hand with the food, boxed up in the sort of boxes you'd find a kebab boxed in.

I tried to move towards her, but immediately stopped. The fuck is that sticky feeling in between my legs?

**That was a hard chapter to make, god damn! Please tell me how you feel with that *ahem* scene. It really was a gamble to make, so if you don't like it feel free to let me know! Thanks again for sticking by!**


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